Well swab



. G. @ELL WELL SWAB Filed April 24, 194'? llll Patented Sept. 6, 1949 2,480,830 WELL SWAB Ivan C. Bell, Dallas, Tex.; Emily Spiller Bell executrix of said Ivan C. Bell, deceased Application April 24, 1947, Serial No. 743,523

8 Claims. l

This invention relates to well swabs and, more particularly, to sealing cups therefor of the double ended reversible type.

A cup of similar type is disclosed in my prior Patent Number 2,317,433, in which an articulated centrally disposed member was provided. In my present invention I provide only a single disklike member directly attached to or as a part of the supporting mandrel section. This member being provided with openings for receiving the reinforcing wires of the cup. In this manner I have eliminated a great number of parts and provided a more durable and economical structure, and one easier to manufacture and assemble, and one not so likely to get out of order. Also in my prior patent referred to, I provided a pair of cooperating thimbles which overhung, and protected, the ends of the Wires. while at the same time restricting one end of the cup to expand in well defined limits while the cup was under working load in the well. I have also in my present invention provided a more economical and more eicient means of effecting this desired result. These, and other 'novel features of the invention, will readily appear to those skilled in the art, from the following description together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure I is an elevation of my swab cup and supporting mandrel section,

Figure II is an elevation partly in section of my cup and connections within a well pipe,

Figure III is an end elevation of the Wire restricting thimble.

In the following description, like references indicate similar parts in the several views wherein, is a section of swab mandrel provided with a centrally disposed fluid passage 6, and threaded ends I for engagement with cooperating elements of the invention including thimble 8, and enlarged section 9 of a lifting structure for the swab assembly. A ring-like member I'II is welded or otherwise secured directly to, or is made as a part of the mandrel section 5, and is provided with openings II for receiving reinforcing wires I2. I3 is the rubber-like resilient material of the cup body. The ends I5 of the reinforcing wires are bent inwardly for purposes later to be pointed out more fully. These wires are preferably formed of spring steel. Ring-like member I0 is the maximum diameter of the rigid portion of the cup and is smaller than the normal diameter of the pipe being swabbed which permits of ready operation through pipe of deformed cross section. The remainder of the cup assembly readily adapts itself to conform to the deformed pipe i sections.

The assembly and operation of my novel swab structure is as follows:

For purposes of easily molding the resilient material onto the structure the wires are passed through the holes in the ring-like member carried by the mandrel section while these wires have straight end sections. These holes are large enough to readily permit pivotal action of the wires therein and to provide for an expansion and contraction, or breathing action, rof the cup after it is completed. The resilient material is then formed or molded about the mandrel section adjacent the' ring-like member and -the wires and providing a space IIIi about the mandrel section for receiving some of the fluid being lifted in the well. The wires are then bent inwardly at their end sections. Thimble 8 is then screwed onto the mandrel section. The skirt portion of the thimble overhangs and engages the lower ends of the wires and constricts the lower end of the cup. A connecting unit having an enlarged portion 9 and being connected to the swab line is then threadedly connected to the other end of the mandrel section. A suitable ball or other valve is conventional and provided in some part of the swab structure by which the fluid passage through the mandrel section is closed. The assembly is now ready to be introduced into the well and will appear substantially as shown in Figure I, from which it will be noted that the wires have moved on their pivots in the openings in the ring-like member and that the lower portions of said wires are entirely free from contact with the well pipe Il, as likewise is the bottom portion of the sealing element I3 which has been compressed by the action of the wires. The upper ends of the wires have engaged the walls of the well pipe and the upper end of the sealing element is free to expand farther, or be deformed outwardly against the Wall of the pipe section, which action results from upward movement of the cup under a load of oil or other fluid by reason of the expanding force of the column of fluid above the cup as the valve closes and the lifting operation is started.

The enlarged section 9, of the upper connecting element, serves to protect the ends of the wires from contact with objectional objects but does not restrict them from moving outwardly with the sealingielement against the wall of the well pipe. The inturned ends o1 the wires are free to guide and protect the sealing element as it moves through the well pipe upwardly, and

3 especially as it passes obstructions and irregularities such as the spaces between ends of the pipe sections within the couplings.

All modiications of the structure that fall within the scope of the following claims are intended as a part of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A swab including, a mandrel. a cup of elastic material bonded on and encircling the mandrel, a plurality of resilient reinforcing members embedded in the cup and having their ends pro- Jecting beyond said cup, and means confining one of the ends of the resilient members for urglng the opposite unconnned ends thereof outwardly so as to expand the adjacent end portion of said cup.

2. A swab as set forth in claim 1 including, means pivotally connecting the intermediate portions of the reinforcing members to the mandrel.

3. A swab including, a support, an elastic cup carried by and encircling the support, resilient reinforcing means surrounding the cup and having its end portions extending therebeyond, and means confining one end portion of the reinforcing means so as to urge its opposite unconned end portion outwardly for expanding the adiacent portion of said cup.

c. A swab as set forth in claim 3 including, means carried by the support and embedded in the cup for pivotally confining the intermediate portion of the reinforcing means to provide a fulcrum for the same. i

5. A swab including, a support. a packing element encircling the support, a plurality of resillent reinforcing members extending longitudinally of said support beyond the ends of the element and embedded in the external portion of said element so as to be disposed circumferentially thereof, and conning means receiving one of the end portions of the reinforcing members so as to urge their opposite end portions outwardly for expanding said element.

6. A swab as set forth in claim 5 including, means embedded in the packing element for pivotally connecting the medial portions of the reinforcing members to the support.

7. A swab including. a mandrel, an elastic cup bonded to and encircling the mandrel, a plurality of reinforcing wires embedded in the peripheral portion of the cup and extending longitudinally thereof with their end portions pro- Jecting beyond said cup, a thimble mounted on said mandrel for confining one of the end portions of the wires, and a, ring embedded in said cup and encircling said mandrel for loosely conlining the intermediate portions of said wires, whereby the unconned end portions of said wires are pivoted outwardly to expand said cup.

8. A swab including, a mandrel, an elastic body carried by the mandrel and having cups in the ends thereof, a plurality of reinforcing wires embedded in the peripheral portion of the body and extending longitudinally thereof with their end portions projecting beyond said body, a ring embedded in the inner portion of said body and encircling said mandrel, the intermediate portions of the wires being bent inwardly and loosely confined by the ring, and a thimble mounted on said mandrel for coniining one of the projecting end portions of said wires to deform the adjacent cup into sealing engagement with said mandrel, the opposite unconfined end portions of said wires being pivoted outwardly to expand the cup adjacent thereto.

IVAN C. BELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,520,400 Boynton Dec. 23, 1924 2,317,433 

